Sunday, March 20, 2005

Reactivity introduced a Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) Gateway for deploying enterprise XML Web services within and among data centers. Reactivity argues there that there is a clear need for dedicated XML Web services infrastructure -- a Layer 7 connectivity issue -- given the identity and access enforcement challenges that currently make it difficult to connect advanced applications across a network.

The Reactivity SOA Gateway is designed to provide the performance and key infrastructure functionality required to securely deploy intra- and inter-data-center XML Web services. This includes a Federated Identity Reference Architecture, which works with existing authentication and authorization systems to ensure transactional trust across sequenced Web services. It also provides a unified record of the identities associated with every transaction. Reactivity said its SOA Gateway is equipped out of the box to unlock access to more than 250 XML-like and non-XML applications, including legacy data formats (such as COBOL Copybooks). It delivers any-to-any XML Web services interoperability, eliminating the tedious and complex hand-coding usually required to connect disparate back-end and e-business systems. Built-in support for Web services management agents simplifies deployment of those tools.http://www.reactivity.com

Masergy Communications selected Interoute to provide dedicated long-haul Ethernet and high-capacity bandwidth to several major European business locations, enabling Masergy to extend its secure VPN and Ethernet WAN services across a broader international footprint. http://www.interoute.com http://www.masergy.com

Zultys Technologies announced immediate availability of its new family of ZIP phones, featuring SIP compatibility, power over Ethernet (PoE), line-rate Ethernet switching, voice encryption, and conferencing capabilities. The phones are compatible with any IP telephony system using SIP. The new line-up extends from a simple SIP deskphone with basic features and an LCD screen, to a higher-end model with graphical LCD display, support for two simultaneous incoming or outgoing calls, and two Ethernet ports to simplify workstation wiring.

Zultys Technologies, which is based in Sunnyvale, California, offers a range of VoIP equipment for the enterprise, including IP PBX systems that are based on open standards. http://www.zultys.com

Time Warner will pay a $300 million penalty to settle civil fraud charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its past accounting. Under the settlement approved by the SEC commissioners, Time Warner agreed , without admitting or denying any wrongdoing, to restate three years of financial results, to be enjoined from future violations of certain provisions of the securities laws, and to comply with a prior SEC cease-and-desist order issued to AOL in May 2000. http://www.timewarner.com

Türk Telekom, the incumbent telecom operator in Turkey, awarded a multi-million EUR expansion contract to Alcatel to supply 600,000 DSL lines. The broadband network extension, which comes on top of the 200,000 DSL lines delivered last year by Alcatel, will enable Türk Telekom to expand its service coverage to remote sites throughout the country. Over the past years, Alcatel has supplied the majority of Türk Telekom's core Internet infrastructure, referred to as "TTnet", 100% of the narrowband access network, as well as the majority of the DSL network. http://www.alcatel.com

The Public Telecommunications Company (PTC), a consortium of four major Saudi companies authorized by the Saudi Telecommunications Company, selected Motorola to build and operate a nationwide iDEN system. PTC plans to sell iDEN services to business, and government users who have a need to communicate with co-workers using iDEN's unique features. The iDEN solution is a digital trunking system that provides push-to-talk, telephone interconnect services, and packet data to digital Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR) users and commercial and industrial system customers. PTC anticipates launching the new wireless service in Q2 2005.

The initial phase of the iDEN infrastructure contract, signed during the second half of 2004, is valued in excess of $40 million. Motorola recognized $10 million of revenue from this contract in 2004. http://www.motorola.com

Atheros unveiled its first cellular solution -- a single chip that implements a complete cellular transceiver, baseband, application processor, audio paths, power management, and keypad, display and USB interfaces. The Atheros AR1900 is the first single-chip solution for PHS (Personal Handyphone System), which is widely deployed in China, Japan, Taiwan and other countries. PHS, or Personal Access System (PAS) as it is known in China, is an advanced digital TDMA-TDD technology operating at 1.9 GHz providing high-quality voice, advanced data services, and long battery life.

The AR1900 is implemented in a standard digital CMOS process and Atheros estimates the single-chip design will reduce the cost of PHS handsets by 30% compared to multiple chip solutions. In addition, the chip's audio path contains voice processing and mixed-signal blocks that can be leveraged for applications such as VoIP and streaming audio (wireless speakers). http://www.atheros.com

There were over 65 million PHS subscribers in China as of the end of 2004, and a further six million in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand.

Verilink announced a private placement of $10 million of senior secured convertible debentures and warrants with certain institutional investors. The purchase agreement also provides for up to an additional $5 million of convertible debentures to be issued to the investors at the investors' option or, under certain circumstances, at the company's option. http://www.verilink.com

Occam Networks announced the appointment of Gregory Dion to the position of vice president of operations. Dion joins Occam Networks from Sun Microsystems Inc. where he was most recently vice president of operations with responsibility for all aspects of operations for Sun's Volume Products Business Unit, a $4 billion business that included six major product lines with a total of more than 50 products produced by four major external manufacturing partners.

Avanex has been awarded a contract by Alcatel to supply optical components to be deployed in connection with Alcatel's recently announced contracts for major submarine fiber networks. Avanex offers an array of optical solutions for submarine applications, including its PowerBragg gain flattening filter and PowerDeep family of pump laser modules. These and other components and modules are designed to meet the demands for high capacity, high reliability and extended transmission distances required in submarine networks.

http://www.avanex.com

Earlier this month, Alcatel announced a multi-million dollar turnkey contract for a 10 Gbps upgrade of the 38,000 kilometer Sea-Me-We 3 submarine cable network. Alcatel will upgrade submarine sections linking the UK to India via France, Portugal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti in Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Alcatel will also upgrade all terrestrial stations along the network. The upgrade is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005.

Caspian Networks announced the appointment of Thomas Carlson as chief financial officer. Prior to Caspian, Carlson served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer for a series of venture-backed companies, including Sanera Systems, Novera Optics, and Silicon Gaming.http://www.caspian.com

US Wireless Online, one of the largest wireless Internet broadband networks (WISPs) in the country, launched a VoIP telephony service for small- to medium-sized businesses and institutions. The service, initially available in Columbus, Ohio, will be rolled out to customers in each of the eleven states in the company's existing service area. US Wireless Online is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

US Wireless Online is using VocalData's softswitching platform. http://www.uswirelessonline.com

EarthLink introduced a software-based VPN service for its business customers. EarthLink offers both client-based and Web-based VPN solutions. The service is also interchangeable with EarthLink's VPN WebLink, which enables employees to get secure remote network access while offsite from any computer with an Internet connection. Service plans start at $100 per month billed on a subscription basis. EarthLink VPN is powered by Positive Networks.

Positive Networks' PositivePRO combines both a client- based VPN and a clientless, Web-based SSL VPN into a single remote access service that scales to support thousands of users. http://www.earthlink.nethttp://www.positivenetworks.com

BellSouth launched a service that allows the integration of wireless and wireline calls for business customers.

The BellSouth Centrex Simultaneous Ring simultaneously delivers incoming calls to up to five different phones at a customer's location. One of these numbers can be a cellular phone. The service is available to new or existing Centrex users and is part of several enhancements BellSouth has recently made to this network-based platform. http://www.bellsouth.com

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded several new contract to Sprint to provide connectivity for Department of Defense (DoD) sites within Japan and between Japan and Guam. The contracts have terms ranging from ten to twelve years and are valued at $16.6 million in total. Sprint's partners for this contract are NTT Communications, KDDI, Japan Telecom, Tyco and Guam Telephone Authority (GTA).http://www.sprint.com

Lucent Technologies opened a state-of-the-art Customer Contact Center (CCC) located within its Global Network Operations Centre (GNOC) in North Ryde, Sydney. Lucent also announced that Macquarie Telecom, a leading supplier of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions to the business and government markets, would be the first Contact Center customer. Macquarie Telecom plans to use the Lucent CCC to offer its business and government customers throughout Australia and Southeast Asia high-level technical customer support with advanced network diagnostic tools.

The Australian GNOC is the first Lucent facility that supports a fully-optimized and integrated hosted customer contact capability. Lucent has partnered with a leading call center integrator, Integ Communications, to boost its expertise in advanced contact center technologies. Integ has been instrumental in the development of the CCC through its contact center software and hardware, design and consulting.

Lucent Worldwide Services also has three other GNOCs in Denver, Colo.; Hamilton, New Zealand and in Hilversum in the Netherlands. http://www.lucent.com

Global Crossing will sell its small business group (SBG) to Matrix Telecom, a Platinum Equity company, for $40.5 million in gross cash proceeds. SBG is a provider of voice and data products to an estimated 30,000 small- to medium-sized business enterprises in the U.S., which have remained customers of SBG for an average of more than seven years. SBG's current product offering includes switched and dedicated voice services and data applications. In addition, Global Crossing and Matrix have entered into a long-term carrier services agreement under which Global Crossing will offer its full suite of voice, data and IP services to Matrix. The sale is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during the third quarter of 2005.

Matrix Telecom is one of 21 operating companies in the portfolio of Platinum Equity, a global acquisition firm based in Los Angeles and headed by CEO Tom Gores.

Global Crossing expects approximately $35 million in net cash proceeds from the transaction after giving effect to estimated purchase price adjustments, the payment of certain fees and the deduction of certain retained liabilities.

In addition to the purchase agreement, Global Crossing and Matrix Telecom, a telecommunications provider to the small- and medium-sized enterprise market, have entered into a long-term carrier services agreement, under which Global Crossing will provide to Matrix wholesale voice, data and IP services. Revenues under this carrier services agreement are in addition to the cash proceeds mentioned above.

"Since our primary focus is providing converged communications services to global enterprises and carriers, the sale of SBG allows us to concentrate on our core business," said John Legere, Global Crossing's CEO. http://www.globalcrossing.com

Vativ Technologies has begun customer sampling a single-chip 10-Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) transceiver for full-duplex operation over a single CAT5e or CAT6 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable. The chip is designed for OEMs and system vendors developing high-speed Ethernet switches and servers for the enterprise datacenter market.

The company said its solution costs less than a tenth of an equivalent short-reach optical solution.

"Our V10LAN transceiver enables the use of widely available, low-cost CAT5e and CAT6 cables, as well as off-the-shelf RJ-45 connectors," said Sreen Raghavan, Vativ Technologies' president and CEO. http://www.vativ.com